Washington [US], February 15 (ANI): The 2022 Academy Awards are shaping up to be an exciting show. Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall are in final negotiations to host the 2022 Oscars ceremony.
As per Variety, the three comic forces are finalising details to host this year’s Academy Awards. The three stars appear to be the only emcees in the mix for the award ceremony, despite several scenarios that telecast creatives have been discussing. Producer Will Packer has been in meetings for weeks trying to find the right recipe for Hollywood’s biggest night.
Scenarios that Packer had been toying with included a three-act structure, which would showcase a different pair of emcees every hour. A laundry list of top talent has met with Packer over the past weeks, including ‘Mad Men’ star Jon Hamm who exited talks over the weekend, according to sources.
The hosts will be formally announced on ‘Good Morning America’ soon. On Sunday, Schumer posted a lengthy Instagram slideshow with some of her biggest career highlights, with the ominous caption “Big fun news comin.'”
If the final negotiations go as planned then each emcee will host one hour of the show. This marks the first time in three years that the Oscars will have a host. Jimmy Kimmel last hosted the ceremony in 2018 and 2017.
Other hosts in the past decade have included Chris Rock, Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen DeGeneres, Seth MacFarlane, Billy Crystal and the dual partnership of James Franco and Anne Hathaway.
In 2018, Kevin Hart was announced as the host for the 2019 Oscars but the comedian-actor stepped down from the role after the organisation that hosts the event, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, asked him to apologise for past homophobic tweets made by Hart.
“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s….this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past,” Hart tweeted in December 2018.
“I’m sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again,” he added at the time.
Interest in hosting the Oscars is still strong in Hollywood circles. Tom Holland expressed his interest in December, telling The Hollywood Reporter he would say yes to hosting the 2022 show if approached.
Reports about who might host this year’s Oscars have been circulating for weeks, with names including Pete Davidson and Jon Hamm in contention. At one point, rumours surfaced that producers were considering a trio made up of the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ cast: Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin.
The Academy announced this year’s nominees earlier this month. ‘The Power of the Dog’ led the pack with 12 total nominations, followed by ‘Dune’ with 10 nods and ‘Belfast’ and ‘West Side Story’ with seven each.
The 94th annual Academy Awards will be held at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on March 27.
